Amer Saeed Al-Shehri
Associate Professor, Department of Social Work, College of Education, Al-Lith, Umm Al-Qura University, kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Volume: 18 | Issue: 1 | Pages: 15-39| March2026 | https://doi.org/10.54940/ss25392622 | PDF
Received: 20/11/2025 | Revised: 05/10/2026 | Accepted: 07/01/2026
Corresponding Author:aschehri@uqu.edu.sa
Abstract
This study aimed to address the absence of comprehensive institutional programs for preparing university faculty members for retirement, and the resulting challenges of low readiness and underutilization of accumulated academic expertise. It sought to assess the level of retirement preparedness across six dimensions: psychological, social, economic, health, professional, and institutional, examine differences according to demographic and professional variables, and analyze factors influencing positive adaptation to retirement. A descriptive-analytical approach was employed, and an electronic questionnaire was administered to a sample of faculty members at Umm Al-Qura University. The findings indicated an overall positive level of retirement readiness, with variability across dimensions, where health and administrative/institutional readiness ranked highest, while financial and professional identity readiness were lowest. Statistically significant differences were found in relation to age, academic rank, and years of service, whereas gender and marital status had no significant effect, highlighting the role of professional experience and career progression in enhancing readiness. The study concludes with recommendations for designing evidence-based institutional programs to support positive adaptation and optimize the utilization of academic expertise post-retirement.
Keywords
Academic retirement, retirement preparedness, positive adaptation, faculty members, institutional support.
How to Cite
Al-Shehri, A. (2026). Preparing for Retirement among Faculty Members at Umm Al-Qura University: A Social Field Study . Journal of Umm Al-Qura University for Social Sciences, 18(1), 15-39. https://doi.org/10.54940/ss25392622
License
Copyright (c) 2026. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC)